Minchin backtrack

In my opinion, Nick Minchin has illustrated his experience and wisdom with his “Coalition should go back to IR roots” (Letters, July 26). It’s a pity that party politics didn’t allow for a conscience vote when the disastrous WorkChoices IR policy was proposed and later introduced.

Either Minchin had reservations then, or now, with the benefit of hindsight, he has acknowledged the debacle represented by this IR policy.

In my view, the preceding enterprise bargaining system promoted far more IR harmony between counterparties with productivity built in. Back then, with both federal houses under Liberal control, sensible reform of the enterprise bargaining system could have been effected by the Howard government but unfortunately (and arrogantly) it pursued a less pragmatic option after which in 2007 Howard and his government paid the ultimate price.